UCF seeks out more students from overseas

Even though University of Central Florida has more than 63,000 students, less than 2,000 are international students, which is considerably less than University of Florida, Florida State University and other schools. UCF is trying to change that and recruit more of those students who pay considerably higher tuition than in-state students.

Even though University of Central Florida has more than 63,000 students, less than 2,000 are international students, which is considerably less than University of Florida, Florida State University and other schools. UCF is trying to change that and recruit more of those students who pay considerably higher tuition than in-state students.

As he makes new friends, there are still the occasional moments when UCF student Deepak Gunturu feels homesick for his family back in India.

"That's when I remind myself why I came here," said Gunturu, 18, a sophomore majoring in computer science. "It gives me motivation to study harder."

UCF is seeking to enroll more international students such as Gunturu by promoting its top programs and its location in the tourism capital of the world.

There are about 2,253 foreign students this fall, an increase of 23 percent from 1,829 in 2014, according to a school report. Overall, UCF has about 63,000 students enrolled.

It's a trend happening across higher education in the United States, said Scott Jaschik, editor and co-founder of "Inside Higher Ed," a national online publication based in Washington, D.C.

For many public universities, recruiting wealthy international students can be a moneymaker since they pay out-of-state tuition and fees, Jaschik said.

An international undergraduate UCF student who takes 30 credits this school year would pay about $22,470 as an out-of-state student versus a Florida resident who only pays $6,360, although UCF said they periodically offer scholarships to help lower the cost.

Out-of-state students represented about 8 percent of the student body, or less than 5,000 students, in fall 2015.

Even so, "we didn't do it for the money," UCF vice provost Cynthia Young said about increasing international student enrollment. "We did it for the interaction and the development of our own students."

Having more international students better prepares the rest of the student body how to interact with people from different cultures and enter a global workforce, Young said.

"Now more than ever in today's climate do we need inclusivity,'' Young said. "They're no longer someone they see on TV. It's their friend in their class or their roommate or a person they're eating with."

Young said the school's international students are spread throughout different countries without relying too heavily from one place.

About 16 percent, or 355 students, are from China. The other popular countries are India, home for 277 students, as well as more than 100 from Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Five other countries — United Kingdom, Brazil, Bangladesh, Colombia, and Venezuela — represent at least 50 or more UCF students as well.

Elsewhere around the state, the University of Florida enrolled about 5,110 international students this fall while Florida State had about 3,058 in fall 2015, the two schools reported.

"It's not easy to pull off," Jaschik said of such recruitment efforts. "It tends to require sustained investment. … They got to have a recruiting plan and an enrollment plan."

Typically, a school recruits strong numbers from a country, and then word of mouth spreads as those students tell siblings or friends back home, creating a pipeline, Jaschik said.

That's how Gunturu found UCF. His father studied computer science in graduate school at UCF in the mid-1990s. And someday, Gunturu's younger brother could also follow them.

"Being at UCF is kind of a legacy for me," Gunturu said.

UCF also highlights its top-ranked programs, such as the hospitality and engineering majors, as a point of pride when recruiting students, according to Young.

For international travelers who may be coming to Orlando for vacation, the university promotes a one-month program to experience the campus and practice English in the hope they come back and enroll as degree-seeking students.

"It's almost like a taste of UCF," said Nataly Chandia Viano, an assistant vice president.

As he adjusted to living on campus, Gunturu said he made new American friends who didn't feel very different from his old ones back home. He has joined student government and visited the theme parks.

One adjustment is missing the spicy curries from India, so he mostly cooks his own food since he doesn't have a campus meal plan.

Earlier this year, the university held two student focus groups made up of international students to see what foods they missed. The chefs at one of the popular cafeterias cooked a spread of Indian dishes and gave a tasting in April.

"It was a huge success," said Mary-Kay Haseley, the managing director of Global UCF, adding some of the international dishes will get rotated into the menu this year.

The changes come as the Global UCF program has moved from a small location on the outskirts of campus to a $16 million, three-story classroom and office building prominently next to Memory Mall in the heart of campus. It will give the university more space to keep up with the growing numbers of students, UCF spokeswoman Alina Hernandez said.

"The mall is the tailgating hub, and they're seeing Global UCF," Young said. "That puts in everybody's mind we're committed to international education."